From rags to riches! The journey to 24 Grand Slam titles was never smooth, but Novak Djokovic‘s hard work along with the enormous support of his parents has brought him to this stage. The Serb has time and again spoken about how challenging it was for his parents to make ends meet in a war-torn country. He saw his parent’s incredible grit and determination to turn things around for the family. That’s truly an inspirational story. What important lessons did he take from his home for the rest of his life?

Recently, during an interview with Radio-Television Serbia, Djokovic was asked about the source of his great self-confidence. In reply, he said, “I had an example in my father who was persistent, as he is now, and believed in me even when I didn’t. And my mother, who supported all of us, four men in 70 square meters. It was very challenging for my parents, because I chose a sport that is one of the most expensive, and we all know how difficult it was in the nineties.”

He further went on to add, “I needed someone by my side who would believe in me, push me, make me believe in myself and in victory. Regardless of who is on the other side of the net and what is happening, and with respect for the opponent and the sport, which I have always tried to respect.” Novak Djokovic believes these are some of the things that he learned from the house and a few others who were very much close to him.

Tennis is an expensive sport and Djokovic knows that without self-belief and the support from his parents, the journey would have remained incomplete. In 2022, during an interview, Novak Djokovic revealed that his family of five once had just 10 Deutsche Mark (approx $10 at that time) to run the whole family. At that time, it was more about surviving for them rather than to play tennis. They had to eat bread during the day to fight their hunger. He revealed how his mom stood like a pillar of the family and held everyone together at that time. No doubt, Djokovic hails her mom as a “superwoman.”

He’s also very much grateful to his father, Srdjan, for showing enormous courage to help him pursue his dream in tennis despite having so little money for survival. According to the 37-year-old tennis superstar, his ability to find strength during the most difficult times is something he has inherited from his father. However, there are two more persons other than his parents who played a crucial role in shaping Novak Djokovic’s career.

Who are Novak Djokovic’s ‘Tennis mother’ and ‘Tennis father’?

During the same interview, Novak Djokovic named Jelena Gencic as his ‘tennis mother’ and Nikola Pilić as his ‘tennis father.’ He revealed how they helped him to build his career with their enormous wealth of knowledge. Speaking more on them, he revealed, “Jelena Genčić from the age of 7 to 12, and Niki Pilić to this day, of course, follows and advises me.”

He further added, “I was lucky, one must have good luck, and I was lucky that with my family I ran into top experts, experts, who not only knew how to pass on tennis knowledge to me but also how to help me mentally and emotionally in all stages of growing up, while I was going through puberty and a million things.”

During a previous interview, Djokovic revealed that Jelena Gencic had already predicted his world number-one ranking at the very early stages of his career. She always felt that there was something about him that was very much different if compared with other players of his age. Novak Djokovic also spoke about how she always used to ask his parents to keep supporting him in his journey to fulfill his dreams in the racquet sport.

Talking about fulfilling dreams, Gencic is the one who helped Djokovic know about his idol, Monica Seles. Jelena used to get permission from his parents so that he could train and spend time in her house. During that time, Seles also used to train under her, and growing up with a coach who used to coach his tennis idol meant a lot to Novak Djokovic. Recalling those fond memories from the past, Nole once stated, “She (Jelena Gencic) was planting those seeds that I’m reaping today.” Rightly so!